Domestic Abusers in New York Won't Be Allowed to Own Guns Any More

People convicted of domestic abuse in New York state will lose their right to own a gun for the rest of their lives under a measure included in the new state budget.

Abusers convicted of felonies and other "serious" offenses were already barred from owning guns in the state. According to the new measure, passed by the state legislature late Friday, individuals found guilty of domestic violence misdemeanors will also be required to turn over their firearms and forfeit their gun licenses.

"The recent wave of mass shootings is horrifying, and the federal government's failure to act on any form of meaningful gun safety laws is unconscionable," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement, adding that the new state measure will "break the inextricable link between gun violence and domestic violence.”

Firearms were used in 25 domestic homicides in New York in 2016, according to the governor's office. Across the country, perpetrators of domestic violence were responsible for more than half of all mass shootings between 2009 and 2016 nationwide, according to the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control found that an abuser with a gun is five times more likely to kill his partner than one who does not own one.

Cuomo initially proposed the measure during his State of the State address in January. It will take effect 60 days after the he signs it.